Strand cutter



E. F. BALDWIN STRAND CUTTER or1g1n'a1 Filed Feb. 18, 1925 .NVQNM (QN N@ Y July 23, 1929.

Patented July 23, i929.

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EARL F. BALD'WN, OF GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN FIBRE CORPORATION, OF GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS, .A CORPORATION OF MASSACI-I' SE'ITS.

STRAND CUTTER.

Original application led February 18, 1925, Serial No. 9,958. Dividedand this application lled May 28.

1927. sei-iai No. 194,867.

VIn the manufacture of woven fabric from relatively heavy strands, such for example as those made from strips of paper formed up into cord or twine, the strand material is commonly wound on reels or spools, and sometimes is knotted to facilitate winding it when from breakage or other cause the length is discontinuous. As made in the fabric, however, knots in the filling would interfere with the proper laying of the picks. For this reason mechanism is provided according to this invention 'for automatically cutting the strand at the knot and for thereafter stopping the machine so that `the strand back of the knot may be brought into feeding position.

The subjectV matter of this application has been divided out frommy application Serial No. 9,958, filed February 18, 1925, for Looms.

For a more complete understanding of this invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a loom showing a cutter applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a detail section on line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring to Figure 1, upstanding from the loom end frames are brackets one of Which is shown at 235. At the upper end of the bracket arm 235 and adjacent its forward edge is mounted a shaft 240 which extends partly across the machine having a sprocket wheel 241 at one end by which it may be driven by means of a chain (not shown). Through gearing, this shaft .240 drives a strand feeding device comprising a grooved wheel 255 within the groove of which the strand is held by a disk wheel 256 extending into this groove. By rotation of the grooved wheel 255, the strand may be drawn off from the supply.

The strand supply is commonly wound on a wheel or spool mounted to rotate with a brake wheel 261 about which passes a band brake 262. This band brake is fixed at one end as at 263 to a bracket arm 264 extending upwardly from the cross frame member 254. The opposite end of this brake band is fixed as'at 265 to an arm 266 pivoted at its upper end as at 267 at the axis of rotation of the brake wheel to which the reel is fixed; The lower end of this arm is guided for limited swinging motion by means of a strap 268 fixed to the forward face of the bracket 264,-

and ,to which lower end beneath this strap is pivoted a pull rod 269. This rod is fixed at its opposite end to an arm 270 upstanding from a slide 271 mounted for axial sliding movement between a pair of guides 272 fixed to the forward face of the frame member 254. The strand passes from Vthe reel through a fixed guide member 275 mounted on'the frame member 254 and about a small. pulley 276 journaled on the bar 271. lThis bar 271 is pulled away from the reel 260, for this purpose a spring 277 being shown as attached at one end to this bar and at the other end to the frame member`254. This spring pulls the bar 271 in a direction to impart a slight tension to the strand between the reel and the feed wheel 255 and at the same time acts to impart a frictional drag to the rotation of the brake wheel 262, counterbalancing this tension on the strand. 1f the strand parts, however, between the reel and the feed wheel, this tension is immediately released and the spring 277 is then free to draw the bar 271 away from the reel, thus pulling on the rod 269 and applying the brake with sufficient force to stop the rotation of the reel. Thus, if the strand parts for any reason, the momentum of the reel is overcome immediately so that it does not continue to unwind the strand which is not being fed to the weaving mechanism.

It some times happens that the strand is tied, if, for instance, one piece thereof is'not sufficiently long to fill the reel, so that the winding of the material on the reel may be facilitated. lt would not, however, be practicable to feed a filling strand having knots therein and for this reason provision is made in this machine for cutting the strand at a knot automatically and then stopping the machine so that the portion of the strand including the knot may be cut away and th-e new end of the strand presented to the pick-laying mechanism. This device comprises a plate. 280 which is carried by the frame member 254 between the strand tension mechanism commechanism comprising the feed Wheel 255.

The plate 28() carries a plate 282 pivoted on a horizontal pivot 281 passing through the plate 282 adjacent to one edge thereof. This plate 282 has a conical opening 283 therethrough of sufficient size at its small end to permit the strand to pass therethrough but of insui'licient size to permit a knot in the strand as at 284 to pass. The plate 280 also carries, pivoted about on edge thereto at 285, a knife 286, the cutting edge 287 of which is pressed against one face of the plate 282 as by means of a spring 288 fixed at one end to the knife blade and at the other end to an extension of the plate 280. This spring thus act-ing 0n the knife causes the knife to press against the plate 282 and to swing this plate. about its pivot 281 as far as may be permitted by an adjustable stop screw 289 threaded through a lug 290 projecting from one face of the plate 280. When the plate 282 is in contact with the stop screw 289, this plate and the knife are out of parallelism in the position shown in full lines in Figure 3, with the cutting edge 287 of the knife adjacent to the small end of the conical opening 283, but clear thereof. As soon, however, as al knot such as 284 in the strand is brought again-st the plate 282 as the strand is drawn by the feed wheels, this knot being too large to pass through the opening 283, causes the plate 282 to be swung away from the stop screw 289, this also causing the knife 286 to swing about its pivot- 285 toward parallel relationship ywith the plate 282 as illustrated in dotted lines. This approach toward parallelism between these two members causes the knife edge 287 to pass across the smaller' end of the opening 283, thus severing the strand close to-the knot. As soon as this severing action takes place the pull previously exerted on the plate 282 by the feed of the strand ceases, whereupon the plate and knife are pulled back to their former positions by the spring 288. At the same time the tension mechanism comprising the slide 271 is permitted to be moved by the spring 277, thus applying the brake to the reel supply and stopping its further rotation.

Means maybe provided, as illustrated in the parent application hereinbefore referred to, to stop the machine as soon as the strand has been so cut in order that the operator may have an opportunity to find the cut end and lead the strand back of this end through the feeding device to the pick-laying mechanism, whereupon the loom is in condition to resume weaving. A portiony of this mechanism is illustrated in the drawings, this comprising a rod 317, the upper end of which is pivoted to the rear end of a. lever 318. This lever 318 is pivoted to a bracket piece 319 fixed to the frame member 251iand at its forward end it carries a depending hook 320 over which the filling strand passes adjacent to the guide roller 325 positioned close to the strand feed wheel 255. When the strand parts, as by the action of the cutting device., the hook 320 is permitted to rise. The consequent depression of the rod 317 is caused through action of mechanism not herein shown, but fully disclosed in the parent application, to stop the machine.

Having thus described an embodiment of this invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from its spirit orscope as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a support, a plate pivoted about one edge to said support and having` an opening therethrough for the passage of a strand, a knife pivoted about one edge to said support on an axis parallel to said plate pivot and on the opposite side ofsaid opening to said plate pivot, a spring for pressing said knife against one face of said plate,

and a stop to limit the swing of said plate by the pressure of Isaid knife thereagainst to a non-parallel relation with said knife with the cutting edge of said knife retracted from Vsaid opening, said knife being of sufiicent length to cause its cutting edge to project across said opening when said plate and knife are swung into parallel relation.

2. In combination, a support, a plate pivoted on Isaid support and having ,an opening therethrough for the passage of a strand, a knife pivoted on said support and extending along one face of said plate, and means normallyjholding said Yplate and knife atan obtuse angle to each other with the edge of said knife retracted from said opening, said holding means being yieldable tojpermit pressure exerted on said plate by an obstruction on the strand being drawn therethrough to swing said plate and knife toward parallel relation with the edge of said knife projecting across said opening thus severing the strand.

In testimony whereof I have affixed m y signature. 

